Argentina in advanced talks to become destination for US deportations, NYT reports

BUENOS AIRES Jan 30 (Reuters) – The United States and Argentina are in advanced talks to sign an agreement that would allow the U.S. to deport immigrants from other countries to the South American nation, the New York Times reported on Friday.

Officials in Argentina were moving to finalize this month the third-country deal with the U.S., the New York Times reported.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report. A U.S. State Department spokesperson declined to comment.

Argentina’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A third-country deal with Argentina would bolster President Donald Trump’s intention to deport millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally. His administration has aimed to ramp up removals to third countries, including to South Sudan, Eswatini, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama.

While Argentina has historically had a relatively open immigration policy, President Javier Milei, a close ally of Trump, has sought to tighten immigration by cracking down on those with criminal records and requiring that travelers are covered by health insurance.

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Barcelona and Cassandra Garrison in Buenos Aires; additional reporting by Leila Miller and Nicolas Misculin, Editing by Franklin Paul)